1 Personal Narrative Does my topic relate to a real event in my life? Do I express the events in time order and exclude unnecessary details? Does the narrative have an engaging introduction? Does the narrative have a cohesive body? Does the narrative have a conclusion that satisfies the audience? Do I write in the first-person point of view? Do I use a tone appropriate for the intended audience? Do I use exact words? Do I use a variety of sentence types and lengths? Is my final paper neat and clean? Do I use consistent margins and spacing? Grade 5, Chapter 1
2 How-to Article Do I have a clear purpose for the topic? Do I have detailed, accurate, and complete instructions? Does the article have a clear goal stated in the introduction? Does the article have steps in a logical order in the body? Does the article have a summarizing conclusion? Is the tone appropriate for the audience? Are the directions written in imperative sentences? Do I use transition words? Do I use language for my specific audience? Do I use a variety of sentence types? Do I have logical transitions from step to step? Are my margins and spacing consistent? Do I have visual aids where appropriate? Grade 5, Chapter 2
3 Business Letter Do I have a clear inquiry about a specific topic? Do I use correct business-letter format? Is my purpose clearly stated in the beginning? Does the middle have detailed information? Does the ending ask for an action or response? Do I use a professional, polite tone? Do I use formal language? Do I use varied sentence types, including combined sentences and sentence parts? Does my letter include the heading, inside address, greeting, closing, and signature? Do I use a standard font, consistent margins, and correct spacing? Grade 5, Chapter 3
4 Description Does the description have a sharp focus on one topic? Does the description help the audience picture the topic? Is there an informative introduction that names the topic? Do I include a well-constructed body of paragraphs with logical organization? Does the description have a conclusion that summarizes my ideas? Do I use the right tone for the audience and the purpose? Do I use vivid adjectives and verbs? Do I use rich sensory details? Do I use a variety of sentences with transitions? Do I use consistent margins and spacing? Are my visuals appropriate? Grade 5, Chapter 4
5 Book Report Do I have a clear focus on the book? Does the introduction identify the title, author, characters, and setting? Does the body describe the plot in chronological order and identify the theme? Does the conclusion summarize my opinion? Does it use reasons and examples? Is my voice confident and lively? Do I use precise words? Do I have a variety of sentence types? Are my margins and spacing consistent? Do I use visual aids where appropriate? Grade 5, Chapter 5
6 Creative Writing Tall Tale Does the story revolve around a larger-than-life main character with a specific job or purpose? Does the story have a beginning that introduces the main character, possibly telling about his or her childhood? Does the story have an exaggerated problem that is eventually solved? Does the story contain conflict resolved by a humorous or an exaggerated solution? Does the story end with a resolution of the problem? Do I use exaggeration for humor? Do I use a conversational tone? Do I use everyday language? Do I use figurative language, including exaggeration, similes, and metaphors? Do I include a variety of sentences? Are my margins and spacing consistent? Is my paper neat? Grade 5, Chapter 6
7 Persuasive Writing Do I focus on one viewpoint regarding a specific topic? Do I include reasons to convince the reader to share my viewpoint? Do I back the reasons with logical evidence? Does the introduction state my position? Do my body paragraphs include reasons that support my stated position? Does my conclusion summarize my position? Do I use a persuasive voice? Do I use opinion words such as should, ought, must, or believe? Do I use a variety of sentences, including expanded sentences? Do I use consistent margins and spacing? Is my paper neat? Grade 5, Chapter 7
8 Research Report Does the report have a clear focus on one topic? Do I give factual information supported by research? Do I have an interesting introduction that includes a topic sentence? Does the body include important main ideas supported by relevant details? Do I have a summarizing conclusion? Do I include a Works Cited page? Does the report have a confident voice? Do I use formal language? Do I use sentence variety for clear, interesting prose? Did I use correct punctuation and capitalization? Do I use consistent spacing and margins? Is my paper neat? Grade 5, Chapter 8
9 Expository Writing Do I have a high-interest, real-world topic? Do I state a main idea for a focused topic? Do I use factual information gathered from reliable sources? Does my introduction gain the reader s attention and state the main idea? Does the body support the main idea with different kinds of information? Do I have a conclusion that sums up or restates the main idea? Do I use formal language? Do I maintain an objective tone? Do I define unfamiliar words in context? Do I choose precise words for exact meaning? Do I connect ideas with conjunctions and transition words? Do I use correct spelling, punctuation, and capitalization? Is my final paper neat? Do I use consistent margins and spacing? Grade 5, Chapter 9
10 Literary Analysis Do I examine a literary element and how the author uses it? Do I interpret the meaning of the text? Do I consider the audience and purpose? Does the introduction include the title, author, the element that will be discussed, and a thesis statement? Do the body paragraphs use a variety of supporting evidence from the text? Does the conclusion restate the thesis statement? Do I use a formal style? Do I use an objective tone? Do I define terms in context? Do I use exact words? Do I vary sentence length and structure for greater interest? Do I use transition words or phrases? Do I use correct spelling, punctuation, and capitalization? Is the paper neat whether it is handwritten or typed? Does the paper have consistent margins and spacing? Grade 5, Chapter 10
11 Poetry Do I have a focused topic for the poem? Do I include a variety of poetic techniques to convey emotions or ideas? Do I arrange words and lines for rhyme and/or rhythm? Do I use graphic elements for effect? Do I arrange lines in verses? Do I express my feelings and ideas? Do I convey tone through choice of formal or informal language? Do I use figurative language? Do I use sound devices? Do I use imagery? Do ideas flow from one line to the next? Do I use punctuation and line breaks to convey pauses? Do I use grammar, spelling, punctuation, and capitalization in a traditional or non-traditional way for intended effect? Is my poem neat? Do I have correct spacing and margins? Grade 5, Chapter 11